Extremely interesting reading about the death of John Pritchard. Was anyone ever named as the culprit at the inquest?

If John was remarried to Sarah Fletcher then I'm assuming the marriage cert is where Joseph is written. It makes sense that it's Joseph.

I haven't gone any further back on the Aston's except for Stephen and Rose/Rosamond and their children. I noticed that one of the children's baptism notes her as Rosamond so I have assumed that's is actually her name.

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No father mentioned on the parish record for Salome & Walter's marriage - it's pre-1838 so doesn't include that info. Just the witnesses: Isabella Pritchard and Michael Mansell (Mansell probably not connected as he appears as a witness on other marriages).

Looking into the Salome Pritchard who died in Dudley in 1850, I notice there was a Saloma Pritchard b. Dudley 1849 - no age available on death, but this could be the same person. Also I can't find anyone of that name in 1841.

There are two sons for Walter Walters and Salome baptised in Wolverhampton: John in 1835, of Horsley Fields, and William in Apr 1837, of Bilsten Street. Walter is a miner in both. Do you know the dates/names of any children with them/born in Australia?

Edit: A William Walters of Bilston Street was buried Wolverhampton Nov 1837, age 7 months.

Trying to place this Isabella Pritchard, witness at Walter and Salome's marriage - can't find anyone of that name/era born Shropshire. There is an Isabella (b. Scotland) who is the wife of a Thomas Pritchard who was b.1801 in Red Lake (Wellington), living in Wolverhampton in 1851.

There are two Wellington born Thomas Pritchards - 1802 (Joseph and Ann) and 1803 (Robert and Mary). Joseph and Ann also seem to have had a John Pritchard b. Wombridge 1791.

So ... a theory here is that Thomas is our John Pritchard's brother, and his wife, Isabella was the witness at Salome's marriage to Walter. Isabella might be Isabella Pitt (marr Thomas 1823, Wolverhampton). Needs a bit of shoring up as there are some other candidates to eliminate.

With that death of John Pritchard - I've included a paragraph on it in my Pritchard write-up (here, second paragraph after the first image). As you'll see - I put my own suspicions (perhaps unfairly) on the pit chartermaster, due to an incident 5 years later!

Rosamond Holmes was b.1752, Shifnal (d.1838) to Robert Holmes and Anne. Robert was a twin son of Thomas Holmes and Eleanor Dainty (marr 1720), and Thomas, in turn, was the son of Robert Holmes and Elis[abeth] or Sarah (first child, Priscilla Holmes, 1681, Shifnal).

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I am confident that the only 3 children to survive to adulthood are Henry THOMAS, Walter Stephen, and Ebenezer.

Australian records prior to 1853 are not always great unfortunately, given that things were still fairly basic. Newcastle was Penal and industry was in the early stages. Coal was huge and Walter was also noted as miner in Newcastle too.

Like I said the other day, I'm confident that these are the correct people but not 100%. Whoever gave the info at Salome's death said her father was John.... correct! Eldest child named John. Son Walter's middle name is Stephen.

Walter and Salome are NOT buried together, so the cemetery states. Newcastle Sandgate opened in 1881 but after Walter died. I haven't purchased the certs because I wasnt 100%, I suppose I should just do it.

I ended up buying the certs. Looks like its them. Salome Walters father is John Pritchard, Miner. Her mother is noted as UNKNOWN... bugger. Born Staffordshire, close I suppose.... and married Wolverhampton. Issue fit including eldest son John who I thought had died because he doesn't appear with his 3 other bros on the funeral notice for their mother. Maybe because the 3 other bros were local in Newcastle and he lived thousands of km's away in Far North Queenland, known to Australian's as FNQ.

Thanks for the info on Walter and Salome Walters in Aus. I agree - it's almost certainly Salome Pritchard from Shropshire. I've had a good look around and I can't see anyone else who fits (unless unrecorded!).

Do you have any ages for Salome - either in life or at her death? If that matches 1815 then I think it's enough to say YES.

I looked up the baptism for Sarah Agnes Walter(s), 1 Aug 1839, and it gives Walter's occupation as miner and their residence as Garndiffaith (baptism at Tallywain Church, Pontypool, Monmouthshire). Could this be Walter Walters visiting his family before they left for Australia?

The only other ref to Salome's age I have is at her death on 5th March 1887, aged 73. That fits fairly much within a year of her baptism in 1815 so I'm fairly confident. Cause of death was heart disease, which is still in our Pritchard line today.

I'm going to fly up to Newcastle in a few weeks to have a look around, I might take mum if she's interested (normally I'm the only one who is). Salome's husband Walter was actually buried at the Cathedral cemetery in 1881. Cemetery's at church's aren't that common in Australia, unlike England. I'd doubt there would be a headstone and even if there once was in the late 1960's the local council decided to turn the cemetery into a park and pulled out all the headstones, kept any ornate or heritage ones and recycled the rest............

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..... WHAT..... ARE THEY MAD.....

I did read online that on the stone steps in the park they have tried to list the names of most of the burials in the church grounds going back to 1804 (That's very early for NSW).

In regard to their shipping from UK. If they were in Wales in August 1839, were there departures from Wales? Maybe Liverpool?? It would have to be between August 1839 and 1842 when Emma was born in Newcastle NSW.

I really would of thought that I would of heard before that we had relatives in Newcastle that were Pritchard relatives. I guess relationships drift through the generations and being so far away and it was the 1800's.

Looking at this Thomas and Isabella Pritchard (I'm not sure if there is more than one Isabella because there is also one who states she is born in England). If this is our Thomas and Isabella, there is a tree on Anc* back to 1645, Samson Pritchard.

Apologies for my silence, Steven! I hadn't realised my inbox got clogged with spam and I went over my message limit - so stopped getting notifications for this thread - plus a busy work patch.

I will have a look at the Pritchard tree you mentioned later today.

Looking at my earlier notes, there is a very "interesting" confusion with a John Pritchard bapt. in Wombridge in 1792. On the 27 May 1792 two John Pritchards were baptised, both Wombridge, and both with a father Joseph Pritchard, but both entered in different books. One son of Joseph and Ann, and one son of Joseph and Mary.

The Joseph and Ann also had a Thomas Pritchard bapt. Sep 1802 in Wellington (who could possibly be husband to Isabella).

Joseph and Ann (poss Davies) also had a John bapt. Wombridge 21 Aug 1791, and Joseph and Mary also seem to have had a John bapt. Wombridge in Feb 1805.

Needs untangling!

Edit - now had a look at the tree you mentioned ... They have John Pritchard b. 1791 Wrockwardine, son of Joseph and Ann, marrying Elizabeth Turner at Newport, Shropshire 27 Dec 1821, children: Matthew (1829) and Comfort (1836). A witness at the marriage is Dinah Pritchard.

If that's correct, then not our John, so not the Thomas we're looking for, and not our ancestry.

But - they've got the wrong John, I think. Looking at John and Elizabeth on the 1851 and 61 census it gives John a birthplace of Preston, Shropshire (Preston Upon the Weald). There is a baptism for another John Pritchard bapt. at Preston on the Weald in March 1791 - parents Matthew and Elizabeth, other children include John, Robert and Diana (prob. the witness on brother's marriage).

I think there are actually 2 sets of Thomas and Isabella's! I think the Isabella we are looking for is the one born in Dundee, Scotland. If you check the IGI for children of Thomas and Isabella the two family blend into one because all the children are baptised at the same church. BUT, if you check the census the children are definitely with two different families.

I found the death of Isabella in 1852 at Wolverhampton, I think the correct one. It's possible Thomas appears in the next couple of census with his brother Joseph, and Church Clerk, and also a widower. Joseph's age fits with the baptism in 1796 as another son of Joseph Pritchard and Ann Davies.

I too noticed that Jos and Ann baptised a 1st John in 1791.

I cringe at the mistakes in tree's on Anc* and that other's just copy those mistakes from one tree to another. That's one of the reasons that I've made mine private. Not that mine is perfect either.

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